


There's Always Another Shoe Ready to Drop

by pixier



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Mutants, Teenagers, supergirl characters in the x-men world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28738950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixier/pseuds/pixier
Summary: When Lena Luthor finds herself at the School for the Gifted she knows something must be wrong. She'd escaped Lex and Lillian, but was this really better? A building full of people who must hate her?
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 8
Kudos: 91





	There's Always Another Shoe Ready to Drop

**Author's Note:**

> No beta. I'm just trying to post some stories before I edit them to pieces.

When the car had delivered her to the “School for the Gifted,” Lena had been confused. The last place Lillian would’ve sent her was somewhere that actually encouraged those with powers to use them. When the headmaster, Prof. Jones, greeted her he’d been joined by one of the students. One who, at his request, had taken Lena’s luggage to her new room. The student, Vasquez if Lena had heard correctly, moved so quickly there hadn’t even been a blur left in their wake.

Once Prof. Jones led her to his office, he’d welcomed her to the school before providing a student handbook as well as notes from her new teachers. The semester had started a few weeks prior, but he assured her that she would receive plenty of time and resources to get caught up. It wasn’t until he named her roommate that Lena realized the potential shit she’d been dumped into. Alex Danvers. The same Alex Danvers whose family had to hate the entire Luthor family with the best reason on the planet. Her parents, Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers, had published paper after paper detailing the natural progression that had led to people with powers. They were responsible for paving the way to the inevitable truth that the powers were a natural evolution, not an aberration in need of erasure.

Then, Jeremiah had been murdered. Some religious fanatic had ultimately claimed responsibility and there was no proof otherwise. Despite his confession everyone, Lena included, knew Lex or Lillian was responsible, maybe both. At that point Eliza, Alex, and Kara had become the loudest voices against the Luthors. Lex and Lillian were the ones on every screen in the country, if not the world, but Lena’s name and face were still strongly tied to the Luthor name. To Lex. To Lillian. To everything they’d done to fight acceptance of mutants. Lena doubted that her being a mutant would out-weigh her association to them. Maybe Lillian was behind this after all.

Something must have slipped past the blank stoney expression that was her shield against the world, because John paused before opening the door. “Did you have a question?”

“Why am I here?” Lena asked.

“To learn,” he said simply.

“Who sent me here?” she clarified. “It couldn’t have been Lillian…”

“I don’t know. I got the message that a mutant needed a place to stay and that her name’s Lena. Lena Luthor. I didn’t ask any questions,” Prof. Jones explained.

Once Lena nodded in response he opened the door and followed her into the hallway. “Kara,” he called, catching the attention of a blonde headed in their direction.

As she approached the blonde, Kara, glanced at Lena and smiled, “Hi!”

“Lena, I’d like to introduce you to one of your new classmates. This is Kara. Kara, this is Lena. Would you mind showing Lena to her room? She’ll be joining Alex,” Prof. Jones asked.

Internally, Lena stomped down her anxiety. She’d recognized the blonde as Kara Danvers the second she’d laid eyes on her.

“Of course,” she told him before turning to Lena with a warm grin. “Nice to meet you, Lena.”

“And you,” Lena replied politely.

“Thank you, I’ll see you both at dinner,” he said before returning to his office.

“It’s this way,” Kara said, nodding in the direction she’d initially been headed. “Do you have any bags or anything?”

“No. Someone took them already. Very quickly,” Lena said, taking in the building as Kara led the way.

“So fast you couldn’t even see them?” Kara asked, glancing at the brunette to catch her nod. “They would’ve been Vasquez.”

Lena nodded again in acknowledgement. While the blonde had no apparent reaction to her presence Lena couldn’t say the same for herself.

“Classes are in the other wing, the student rooms are mostly on the second floor in this one. I’m sure you’ll love it here. Everyone here is really great!” Kara explained as they climbed the stairs.

“Oh,” Lena said when the blonde paused, apparently waiting for a response. She wasn’t sure what to make of Kara’s enthusiasm, just hoped that it wasn’t a family trait.

“You’re down at the end of the hall. Last door on the left, so you have a great view of the grounds!” Kara continued until they reached the door. “Here we are!”

“Yes, thank you,” Lena said, attempting a smile.

“You’re welcome. See you around,” Kara said heading back down the hall.

Once inside and sure the room was empty Lena slumped into a desk chair with a sigh of relief. Unsure how long she would have to herself she dropped her head into her hands and allowed herself a minute of shaky breaths before pulling herself back together. As she steadied herself Lena took in the room around her.

She’d sat down at a desk with a stack of science texts and notebooks next to a much smaller stack of Russian literature in the original Russian. At the back of the desk was a framed photo. Lena easily recognized younger Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers on either side of a pair of young teens who must have been Alex and Kara. Lena caught herself reaching out and quickly snapped her hand back.

Getting to her feet Lena turned away to see the rest of the room. The second desk sat empty, not far from the first. There was also an empty closet with her luggage piled outside its door. That left the bunk beds. Lena had hoped to determine which was hers, but aside from their placement they were identical: same pillow, same sheets, and both were neatly made. For the time being Lena began to unpack her luggage and try not to think about her roommate. It wasn’t like there was anything she could do about it.

* *  *

Lena had finished unpacking her clothes and moved onto the few items that went to her desk. Her phone had been powered down since Lillian had told her to go. That had hurt, but not as much as the scowl on Lex’s face. Her older brother’s mind had been sliding into madness more and more quickly, but until that moment he’d still been her big brother or so she thought. She had no desire to see or hear any further words from either of them, and there was no one else who would reach out. Shaking her head, Lena removed the battery and SIM card.

Hearing someone in the hall Lena swept the phone’s pieces into a desk drawer, carefully closing it as she turned toward the door. Lena took a moment to look her new roommate over as the other girl called back down the hall, presumably finishing a conversation with someone else, based on what she was yelling, “Yeah, right!  _ Maybe _ I’ll let you try again tomorrow.”

When Alex looked up as she finally entered the room Lena could see the moment of recognition. That look was followed by a series of emotions that suddenly flashed across the redhead’s face. Lena was impressed by how quickly Alex locked down her expression, managing a half-smile with only the hint of a grimace.

“I’m Alex,” she said, stepping further into the room and placing her messenger bag on her desk. “I’ll ask my sister to come unbunk the beds after dinner. I know nobody really likes climbing to the top every night. We can rearrange too, if you want.”

Lena was thrown off by the kindness. If it wasn’t genuine then her new roommate was a better actor than anyone the brunette had met before.

“It’s fine. No need to put anyone out,” Lena replied.

“Yeah, that’s not a problem,” Alex replied, now fighting back a grin. The smile she was currently sporting was more than enough to throw Lena off, leaving her to struggle to hear the rest of Alex’s words. “Kara loves to be helpful, and she can lift a car, so this won’t be a problem. I’ll find her at dinner. Do you need any help to finish unpacking?”

“No, thank you. I was just finishing when you got here,” the brunette answered, barely managing to mask her confusion at Alex’s behavior. The redhead had obviously recognized her, but she was acting as though Lena was anyone  _ but _ a Luthor.

“Well, we’ve got a little time before dinner, I can give you the tour highlights at least, maybe introduce you to a few people?” Alex offered. Lena had only just noticed the growing awkward silence between them when her roommate had started to speak again, but the thoughts of how else the day could go wrong made the awkward silence sound like the better option.

“That’s all right. I’m more tired than hungry so I think I’ll just call it a day,” Lena said, baffled that the redhead would want to go so far out of her way for Lena of all people. 

Alex let out a clearly exasperated sigh and dropped into her desk chair. This time she spoke in a softer tone, ”Lena, we obviously recognize each other, and I’ll be honest, I am no fan of your family--”

“They’re not…” Lena started, her entire body having flinched the moment Alex tried to refer to them as her  _ family _ . “I’m not even… We aren’t exactly what I’d call a family,” she finally managed to get out, flustered at the thought of describing the Luthors as a family. It wasn’t that she wanted to defend them, rather she needed to be distanced from them. Especially now.

Alex eventually broke that silence too, “You should know that I don’t hold anyone’s ‘family’ against them. I’ve been lucky, but too many of us, mutants, come from families that can’t accept it, can’t accept us. I could try to guess, but I don’t know your story. I don’t hate you, and I’ll try not to bring this up again. I just don’t want to be the reason you can’t relax here, and I won’t be offended if you ask for a different roommate.”

Lena hadn’t been able to hold eye contact since the first line of Alex’s little speech. It took a moment of closed eyes and deep breaths to keep her emotions inside, but eventually the brunette looked up and asked, “Do you mean that?”

Seeming to make a point of it, Alex’s brown eyes sought out Lena’s, “I do.” 

Believing the words as soon as they’d been spoken, Lena nodded. “Thank you,” she managed to reply before breaking eye contact.

“You’re welcome,” Alex said before turning to grab Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ from her bag, locate her bookmark, and start reading.

* *  *

By the time Alex looked up from Tolstoy it was dinner time. Realizing Lena was no longer at her desk as she set aside the book, Alex was about to ask if the brunette was sure about skipping dinner. Looking around she spotted Lena. She’d made it onto the top bunk, but not into the sheets.

Frowning for a moment as she thought, Alex ultimately grabbed the blanket from the foot of her own bed and used it to cover Lena. Feeling better she quietly made her way out of the room, her stomach growling as the door closed behind her.

Upon reaching the dining room Prof. Jones noticed Alex and made his way to her before she’d gotten to the food. “I was hoping to see Lena join you for dinner,” he said.

“She was pretty tired, just wanted to call it a day. By the time I finished studying she was asleep. I figured I’d bring back a snack and some water in case she wants them later. She must have been exhausted,” Alex explained.

“I appreciate your forethought,” the professor replied. “Should I worry about the room assignment? I would understand if that’s the case, but you know I don’t like leaving new arrivals alone and you were the only student without a roommate”

“There’s no issue for me. I’ll let you know if I think it would be easier for her,” Alex assured him.

“Thank you,” he smiled, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze before leaving the redhead to her dinner.

In addition to her own dinner, Alex collected a few granola bars, cookies, an apple, and a bottle of water. Eventually she joined her friends at their usual table, settling into an open seat next to her best friend.

“It looks like that rematch will have to be postponed, Luce,” Alex said, setting everything she’d collected for Lena at the empty spot on her other side.

Lucy frowned, “You can’t spend the entire weekend studying, and I heard you have a new roommate. I’m sure she’ll want at least a  _ little _ time to herself. Speaking of, shouldn’t she be here?”

“Long day,” Alex explained, “She was already asleep when I left the room.”

“And that?” Lucy asked, nodding toward the food Alex had set in front of an empty chair.

“I thought I’d bring back something in case she wanted it later.”

“So, are you going to tell us about her?” the grinning teen pestered.

Alex sighed as she shook her head, “You know I’m not, even though you’re my best friend, even if you weren’t the second worst gossip here.”

“ _ Second _ ?!”

“That’s what you’re latching onto? And yes, even you can’t compete with Winn,” the redhead smiled, shaking her head. “I’m sure you’ll meet her soon enough. I just hope I have a chance to warn her about you first.”

“I see how it is. You won’t tell me about her, but you’ll share all my secrets,” Lucy teased.

“We all know you live for the attention, Luce, and you have no secrets, that would require you to close your mouth for more than a few minutes everyday,” Maggie interjected as she sat down across from the pair with a wry smirk for Lucy. “Besides, the more you harass her the less she’ll let slip. You know that.”

Alex was mid-eyeroll when Kara bounced over to join the table. Unlike most of the other students, the blonde was quite the social butterfly with a tendency to bounce from table to table on a daily basis. “Alex, how’s your new roommate? She was really quiet when I showed her to your room.”

“You met her?” Lucy asked, lighting up as she turned her focus to the blonde.

“Prof. Jones asked me to show her to Alex’s, well, her and Alex’s room,” Kara answered. She stopped there, aware of her sister’s definition of and stance on gossip. Though the blonde thought her sister’s position was a bit too restrictive she wasn’t about to push Alex’s buttons now. Looking to the redhead Kara asked, “She's settling in all right?”

Alex nodded in agreement. “She was exhausted, already asleep. Think you could help us move some furniture around tomorrow?”

“Of course! What’s the plan?” Kara grinned lighting up at the thought of helping out.

“Unbunking the beds, not sure what else. I’ll know what time after I talk to her,” Alex explained.

When the redhead finished eating she gathered her dishes and the food for her new roommate. She then surprised her friends by saying, “I think I’m going to call it a night.”

“Already?” Lucy asked before teasing, “Must be from trying to keep up with me.”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure the exhaustion is from listening to that thing you call a sense of humor,” Alex shot back, already walking away from the table, effectively shutting down Lucy’s chance to reply.

Not wanting to disturb her new roommate’s clearly needed rest Alex had set a vibration-only alarm on her watch the night before. She’d felt a bit unbalanced since entering her room to find Lena Luthor of all people was the new roommate Prof. Jones had told her about. When she’d still felt that way while preparing for bed Alex had set her alarm. She needed a run.

After her father’s death--no, murder--Alex had been nothing but anger. When even surfing wasn’t enough to ground her the redhead had reluctantly followed up on one of her therapist’s suggestions, and it had turned out to be a good one. She wasn’t sure how far she’d run that first morning, but she’d taken long enough to worry her mother. To the point that Eliza had sent Kara to find her. The blonde had helped her back home and even placated Eliza long enough for Alex to make it upstairs and collapse onto her bed, asleep in under a minute.

Hours later Alex woke, groaning as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Everything hurt, her body just one giant ache. Grabbing the bottle of water left on her night stand Alex downed it before locating her most comfortable gym shorts and one of her father’s well-worn long sleeved shirts. She pointedly ignored the painkillers left next to the water, instead heading for the shower.

Despite how quickly Alex started to wear through running shoes her mother never commented, just provided new pairs as quickly as they were requested, sometimes before Alex could even ask. Though she’d since found other ways to manage her emotions, running was still the most effective.

Alex quickly dressed and grabbed her running shoes before leaving the room as quietly as possible. Pausing outside the door she pulled on her shoes before crouching to tie her room key into the laces. As she stepped outside Alex felt the chill raise her hair on end. The cold air was just what she needed to finish waking up. A slow, deep breath was just enough to send a shiver down Alex’s spine as she took off.

Sometimes Kara would join her, but never this early. Running this early meant Alex had some serious thinking to do, what she didn’t need were unnecessary distractions. These were the times Alex most needed to herself.

Alex hadn’t been lying when she said she had no issue with Lena. The brunette wasn’t the problem, but her unannounced arrival had brought up a lot of emotions, and no matter how well the redhead handled her grief there were still days that required more effort than others. Days like this one. For the rough days Alex had two ways of coping. Crying, with a side option of sappy movies and ice cream, or working herself to the point of exhaustion.

It wasn’t until she stepped back into the school and heard sounds from the kitchen that Alex checked the time and realized she’d been running for over an hour. She quickly made her way upstairs slowing as she approached her room before retrieving the key from her shoelace and quietly letting herself in.

The tank top she’d removed early in her run was tucked into the top of her shorts where it had flapped behind her like a cape. Realizing it had since dried when she pulled it free Alex used it to dry the sweat from her face and torso before tossing it into her basket of dirty laundry.

Assuming Lena would still be resting Alex didn’t look up until she heard the brunette ask, “Do you run every morning?”

“Not  _ every _ morning,” Alex replied, suddenly self-conscious in only her sports bra and running shorts. Nevermind that she’d just walked through the mansion that way. “I mean, I do run most mornings, but not usually for so long. Did I wake you when I left? I can try to be quieter-”

“You didn’t wake me. I was awake before you got up,” Lena admitted. “I used to run… before. It helps me think.”

Alex thought it over for a moment before nodding, “You can join me next time, as long as you don’t think too loudly. I run to clear my mind.”

“Thank you,” the brunette said softly, “for that and the snacks.”

“You’re welcome. I’m going to go grab a shower. If you’re not in a rush, I’ll show you the cafeteria after and make some introductions over breakfast,” the redhead offered, trading her running shoes for shower sandals and grabbing her robe and towel.

Lena nodded, “Sounds good.”

Alex was relieved to hear Lena excuse herself to the bathroom when she returned from her shower. Typically more than confident with her body she was surprised by the wave of self-consciousness she kept feeling in Lena’s presence. It wasn’t like she’d felt that way with any of her previous roommates. Shaking her head Alex pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on getting dressed.

Once dressed, Alex couldn’t help running her fingers through her hair as she looked into the mirror mounted on her closet door. She was used to the short hair on the sides of her head, but it was only recently she’d cut off most of the rest leaving just a few inches on top remaining, all thanks to Lucy’s attempt at controlling fireballs. A week later and Alex was still getting used to how little maintenance the style required.

So focused on her hair was Alex that she didn’t register her roommate’s return until the brunette spoke up, “I like the tousled look on you.”

Had Alex not immediately turned her head in an attempt to hide her blush she likely would’ve noticed the matching rosy hue on Lena’s face. “So, uh, breakfast is more self-serve on the weekends, but they do let us into the kitchen in case anyone’s feeling ambitious. They also put out all the good waffle toppings, but we’re pretty sure it’s just bribery so no one makes a habit of sleeping all day. The waffle maker takes a few minutes, but it’s worth it as long as Kara hasn’t already finished off the strawberries.”

Having filled their trays with a variety of breakfast foods Alex led the way to a table, starting the introductions as they sat down. “Lena, this is Vasquez, I think you mentioned meeting them yesterday, and Lucy. Guys, this is Lena.”

Vasquez nodded in greeting as Lucy leaned forward, greeting the new student with a “Hey.”

Glancing at the empty spot next to Lucy Alex asked, “I thought I saw Kara over here when we came in.”

“She went back for seconds, said something about checking the kitchen for more strawberries,” Vasquez explained.

“Nevermind that, when are we hitting the gym today? I have some new ideas to use against you,” Lucy jumped in with a feral grin.

Alex sighed, “I told you I was going to skip it today. I bet Jimmy would be into playing target for you.”

“Yeah, but he barely fights back, just changes to stone and waits it out. You’re the challenge!”

“Vasquez?” Alex asked, looking hopefully to the table’s other occupant.

“Pass.”

“Lena, maybe you can help,” Lucy said, turning her focus onto the newcomer. “I’m trying to prove to Alex that I can win a sparring session against her.”

“Oh?” Lena asked, waiting for Lucy to continue. 

“My problem is finding a truly even field to take her on. Unfortunately, I can’t put in the same practice time, my power is borrowing the powers of whoever is close by. Don’t worry. I’m not snooping,” the girl managed to explain before growing more serious. “I already learned to only test new powers in controlled environments.”

Cutting off the heavy pause, Alex said, “I just make stuff shake.”

“ _ Just _ nothing,” Lucy scoffed. “She likes to play humble, but Alex can do it all: from sound waves to earthquakes.”

Unable to contain her surprise Lena turned to her roommate, “Is that true?”

Mid-bite and not one for bragging Alex just glanced at Lena and half-nodded, half-shrugged before giving Lucy an unhappy look, “I still don’t think it qualified as an earthquake.”

“Most of the school grounds shook! The earth quaked. It was an earthquake.”

Choosing to ignore that comment Alex just shook her head in exasperation.

Lena looked back at Lucy with a playful frown, “Sorry, Lucy, but I don’t think dream visions or the occasional touch-triggered vision would be of much help to you.”

“You never know,” Lucy shrugged, leaning back into her seat as Kara returned.

Clearly looking for a change in conversation Alex immediately greeted her little sister, “Kara, you still up for moving some furniture around after breakfast?”

“Of course!” the blonde replied, setting down a tray with about as much food as Lena might eat over the course of an entire day, some powers used more calories than others.

* *  *

As soon as she woke Lena frowned, but it took her a moment to figure out why. She was running a hand through her hair when the dream vision started coming back to her. As often happened when the visions arrived as dreams it came in bits and pieces. Lena didn’t have enough to make any sense of it yet.

Pushing back the covers and putting her feet on the ground Lena reminded herself not to dwell. The harder she tried to remember something the longer it would take. So far she didn’t feel any negative emotions tied to the dream, so it was easier to brush aside. Instead Lena got to her feet and started dressing for a run. Alex wasn’t in the room, but her running shoes were. So the brunette knew she still had time to accompany her roommate.

Lena had quickly started joining Alex for a couple of her morning runs each week, easily falling into the habit. She’d been surprised at how calming it was. One of them might say a few words while they stretched before or after, but the runs themselves were usually silent. The calm that came with physical exertion, not just mental focus, was something Lena had read about, but only now fully experienced.

A part of her mind wondered if the redhead had anything to do with the calm she felt, but it was pushed aside. Lena wasn’t ready to consider the implications if that was true. That she might be crushing on one of her family’s  _ enemies _ . Lena didn’t think she was quite ready for that. Not yet.

“You okay?” Alex asked as they went down the stairs.

“I’m all right. What makes you ask?” the brunette replied with a frown.

“That look on your face. I can’t tell if you’re confused, concerned, or just trying to figure something out. You’re usually not so expressive this early,” Alex explained.

“I dreamed a vision last night,” Lena admitted, “It’s still coming back to me, but I haven’t remembered enough to understand it.”

“Does that happen a lot?” the redhead wondered, holding the door for her roommate as they stepped outside.

“Most of the dream visions come in bits and pieces. The rest wake me up, usually in the middle of the night,” she explained. “Currently I can’t figure out what’s important about this one.”

“Huh,” Alex replied, making her own deep-thought face as she started stretching.

Following along Lena let her thoughts slip away, at least until her finger brushed a shoe. “Oh,” the brunette said softly as she momentarily froze.

Alex noticed the movement and eased out of her own stretch, biting back the urge to again ask if her roommate was okay. Instead she waited, knowing that Lena would explain when she was ready.

Ultimately the brunette sighed, slipping out of the daze as quickly as it had started, and when she looked at Alex a blush started to color her face. “I need to make sure I double knot my shoes,” she muttered, quickly looking away as she did just that.

“Your vision?” the confused redhead asked.

“Yes. I… I wouldn’t want to trip and a fall,” Lena admitted, her blush growing in intensity.

“That’s what your vision was about?” Alex replied with disbelief.

“Not all my visions are about life threatening situations.”

“Huh. That actually makes a lot of sense. It’s not like I can only use my powers in an emergency,” the redhead mused.

Lena debated if she should share more, but ultimately knew that Alex wouldn’t use the information for constant teasing. “My visions usually come true,” she admitted, returning to her stretching. 

“Do… Are… I don’t know how to ask this without sounding like an asshole, but do you want to skip the run today?” the redhead asked, wincing even as she said the words. “I could show you around the gym instead?”

A glance in her roommate’s direction was enough to assure her that Alex was only asking out of legitimate concern. “I think I can risk falling down. Now I’ll be looking out for tripping hazards.”

“Well, if you do fall I’ll be sure to back up any cover story you want to use,” Alex offered as she wrapped up her stretching and got to her feet.

“I appreciate that,” Lena admitted with a chuckle of amusement.

A minute or two later and they were off, returning to the usual silence. A few minutes after that Lena realized that had been the most they’d spoken to each other any morning. If only she knew what to make of it.

Lena couldn’t help constantly glancing at her feet, checking that her shoe laces stayed tied. When she wasn’t looking there Lena still kept her gaze low, constantly scanning the ground in front of her for potential hazards.

It didn’t take long for Alex to notice Lena’s focus, but she managed to refrain from commenting on it. For the first mile or so anyway.

“I feel like all the time you spend looking down is just inviting some other hazard like a low hanging branch,” the redhead finally said. 

Lena smiled, clearly amused, “That’s what you’re here for. You would warn me if there was a low hanging branch, wouldn’t you?”

Alex only laughed in response. 

“You’re laughing now, but you should look at your shoes,” the brunette grinned. She slowed to a stop.

Looking down Alex just shook her head and stopped as well. “How long was it going to take you to tell me?” she asked, immediately crouching down to tie the loosened shoelace Lena had noticed. “You can keep going. I’ll catch up.”

“I don’t mind waiting,” she admitted. Once Alex had finished tying her shoe, this time making sure to double knot the laces, Lena reached out to help Alex up. The moment they tightened their grips Lena gasped, her eyes going wide. It was more of the vision she’d dreamt, this time with details that hadn’t been there before. She saw Alex going down first, as well as the tranquilizer dart sticking out of her shoulder. The vision seemed to jump ahead to Lena feeling a dart hit as well.

“Lena?” Alex asked, concerned.

Lena looked up and noticed something behind the redhead at the same time she realized that this was where the vision took place. She cried out in alarm as she grabbed Alex’s shoulders and spun them just in time to feel the dart hit her shoulder as she shielded Alex.

“Alex, run!” was all that Lena managed to say before she felt her knees give out.

Lena’s hands slipping from her shoulders Alex instinctively caught her, wrapping her arms around Lena’s waist and slowly lowered her to the ground. As they went down Alex saw the dart and brushed it away. As soon as she’d gotten Lena to the ground Alex threw up her hand and with it a wave of disruptive vibration in the direction the dart had come from.

Slamming her other hand to the ground she reached out toward the source of the shot. It was much easier to focus her power through solid matter than the air. Almost immediately she felt the man’s general location and used that information to roll to a position that put a tree between herself and the shooter.

She looked back at Lena in concern. She was defenseless. Not even conscious to attempt to defend herself. Ultimately, Alex managed to convince herself that if they were using darts, not bullets, Lena would be safe for the moment.

Knowing she needed better cover Alex threw herself into the tall grass and wildflowers that bordered the path. Once hidden Alex started off to one side with plans to flank their attacker. The sound of gunfire registered at the same time as the pain ripping through her forearm. The shock of which sent her stumbling to the ground. Fighting to block out the pain Alex instead tried to focus on locating the gun, quickly latching on and rattling the weapon until it started falling apart.

Having focused so hard on the weapon Alex hadn’t realized that the attacker had approached until he was standing over her, wrapping a hand around her neck to hold her and slamming his other hand into her face. The new pain and the ringing in her ears slowed her down as she tried to focus on what was happening.

The man had tightened his grip around her neck, yanking her up off the ground. Alex barely realized he’d lifted her until he slammed her back against a tree and held her there.

“You should keep out of other people’s business,” the attacker hissed into her ear. When one hand moved from her neck Alex managed to suck in some air, only to have the wind knocked out of her when he slammed his fist into her stomach.

In an effort to free herself Alex wrapped her hands around the man’s wrist. When nothing happened she didn’t think further, just started shaking everything around her, starting with his arm.

With a roar of pain he dropped her and started backing away. When she hit the ground Alex’s power stopped too. But he didn’t run. Still gasping for breath Alex looked at him, slowly raising one hand toward him though unsure how much more she had in her. Thankfully, the threat was enough. She listened to him barrelling through the undergrowth just long enough to know she was safe before letting her hand drop.

Alex was starting to get her breath back when she realized her roommate was probably still lying in the path. “Lena!” she tried to yell, though it came out as more of a croak. Trying to push to her feet she yelped when an attempt to use her injured arm caused another wave of pain. Pulling that arm toward her chest and trying to push to her feet with the other Alex stumbled back to her roommate.

Crashing to her knees next to Lena Alex checked to see that she was still breathing. Now they just had to get back to the school. Unfortunately, neither of them were in the habit of taking a phone on runs.

Over time the school had found the need to develop some rather unusual policies and procedures. One of said procedures covered reaching out for help if you had no communications. As an exercise in control students with telepathy or related powers learned how to listen. Not for the thoughts of those around them, but those calling out for help. While the students still had to actively listen there were at least a couple of teachers who had learned to do it almost subconsciously.

Alex knew this. She had even taken part in the training as a person calling out more than once. That made things much easier for her now. Instead of blocking out the pain and fear she let it in. Then she added thoughts about the school. Eventually she felt a wave of calm start to fall over her and Alex relaxed, trying to think only about the calm and their location. 

Reaching out to brush back Lena’s hair, Alex stopped herself when she noticed how much blood there was. Looking down at her own arm to actually take in the damage for the first time she flinched. She managed to pull her shirt off before groaning in pain as she wrapped it over the injury and applied pressure. 

Help would be there soon.

* *  *

Returning to consciousness was like trying to escape a weighted blanket. It didn’t hurt, but it didn’t feel right either. As she neared the edge Lena was able to crack her eyes open, but all she could see were lights, like looking through frosted glass. That didn’t feel right either. She continued to blink, her eyes opening a little further, her vision a little clearer with each twitch of her eyelids.

Her vision cleared, but her mind was still foggy. Turning her head Lena looked for something she recognized. Something to tell her where she was or to remind her how she ended up wherever here was.

It was when she noticed the blonde sitting next to her that the memory came rushing back. “Alex!” Lena choked out as she pushed herself upright, the motion triggering a rush of vertigo she was not prepared for.

Kara, who’d been sitting next to her, jumped to her feet and started guiding Lena back down. “It’s okay, you’re okay, you’re safe.”

Eyes closed tight Lena didn’t try to fight the blonde, “Where’s Alex? She-”

“Alex is okay. She’s right here,” Kara explained, waving to where her sister was sprawled out on the bed behind her. “She’s just sleeping.”

When the vertigo started to recede Lena rolled her head so she could see Alex, gasping when she noticed the redhead’s face. A dark purple bruise was centered on her cheekbone and stretched from her eye nearly to her mouth. It had swollen enough that Lena wondered if the redhead could even open her eye enough to see.

“My vision… What happened?” she asked, her eyes jumping between the two sisters.

“We’re not sure who, but you were attacked. A tranquilizer dart took you out,” Kara explained.

“And Alex?” Lena wanted to know. The further her vision cleared the worse her roommate looked. “What happened to her?”

Kara sighed and looked over her shoulder at her sister for a moment before turning back to Lena, “Alex… was Alex. She ran off the guy who attacked you and called for help.”

“Why would she do that? She should’ve gotten to safety!” Lena exclaimed. “I…I told her to run.”

“That’s what Alex does. Who she is,” Kara shrugged. “Plus, it was you.”

Fighting her defensive instinct, Lena opened her mouth to reply, but quickly closed it. Why would she matter? There had to be a way to make this make sense. 

Before Kara could come up with a response to that Lena’s stomach growled, loudly. “How about I go grab you a snack. And I’ll let Dr. Hamilton know you’re awake too.”

Lena hummed in agreement, her eyes still locked on Alex. She completely missed the knowing smile on Kara’s face as the blonde left the room. Instead, Lena was trying to will away the vertigo at least enough to let her move to Alex’s side. She needed to reach out and touch the redhead to confirm she was really there. That this wasn’t just another dream.

“Oh, Alex,” she murmured, wincing in sympathy as she stared at the swelling hiding so much of the redhead’s face. Lena didn’t really notice the way Alex moved in her sleep until she turned her head and the bruise made contact with the pillow. 

Alex jerked awake, hissing when the tensing of her muscles sent another flare of pain from her arm. Pulling it to her chest the redhead’s eyes darted around the room until they settled on green eyes staring back at her. “Lena?”

“Yeah, I’m awake,” the brunette assured her, at a loss for anything else to say.

Alex nodded, scanning the room again before she started to relax. Taking a couple of calming breaths Alex moved her legs to the side of the bed before carefully standing up. “Are you okay?” she asked, quickly covering the few feet that separated them. If she leaned a little heavily against the side of Lena’s bed neither of them commented on it.

“Me? Yes, I’m just groggy. You…”

Noticing the way Lena stared at the swelling that kept her eye from opening, Alex waved it off, “Just bruising, nothing’s broken.”

“It’s not  _ just _ anything,” Lena said. She tried sitting up again, but much more slowly this time. The vertigo was still there, but manageable. “Did something happen to your arm?” she asked when she noticed the gauze sticking out from the end of her hoodie’s sleeve and the way Alex held it against her chest.

Alex just shrugged with her good side, trying to brush off the question. Looking away she checked the clock, “You’ve been out for hours. I’m sorry I was asleep when you woke up.”

“You don’t need to apologize for that, Alex. Besides, Kara was here, she just left to get the doctor. Tell me what happened to your arm?” Lena asked, seeing through her roommate’s attempt to change the subject.

“I… He… he had a gun..” Alex stammered, appearing to be somehow embarrassed to admit the truth.

“Oh my god, Alex. You were shot?” Lena nearly yelled, now entirely awake and ignoring the vertigo as she moved to the edge of the bed, closer to her roommate.

“Yeah, I should’ve noticed it when I first felt him,” Alex began. When she noticed the confusion that washed over Lena’s face she started to ramble, “I can feel, or sense really, the ways different things vibrate. It’s kind of like echo-location, maybe more radar or sonar--”

“Why didn’t you run? You shouldn’t get hurt because of me.”

“It’s not that bad. I’ll heal in no time. Besides, I--”

“I’m so sorry,” Lena said, burying her face in her hands before the tears started.

“What? No, Lena, none of this was your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for,” Alex assured her, reaching out to rub her hand up and down the brunette’s arm.

“No. I do. I think I know who attacked us,” Lena admitted, feeling even more guilty that Alex was the one comforting her. “If it’s who I think it is… he works for my brother. He was there for me, and you got caught up in it. I should’ve known that Lex…”

“Lena, no. Look at me,” Alex said, waiting until her roommate looked up at her. “If that’s the case, it’s his fault. Not yours. Do you remember what I said when we first met? You aren’t at fault for your family’s actions. I will never hold you responsible for their actions. You have nothing to be sorry for.” She wanted nothing more than to pull Lena into a hug, but with her injured arm she wasn’t sure how.

“But I should’ve known that he’d do something, Alex. I should’ve been able to remember the dream vision--”

“Lena. No,” the redhead cut her off. After a moment of hesitation she shifted her injured arm to the side and leaned in to awkwardly wrap the other around her roommate in a half-hug.

Lena tried to be stronger, but she couldn’t say no to the offered comfort and all but jumped into Alex’s embrace, burying her face in Alex’s shoulder. “Thank you,” she murmured, shuddering as she managed not to start sobbing all over the redhead.

“Lena, you don’t have to thank--” Alex said before she was cut off.

“No. Thank you for fighting him off, for protecting me even though you should’ve run,” the brunette explained, slowly pulling back so Alex could see the gratitude in her eyes. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I…” Alex spluttered, not sure what to say, “you’re welcome.”

Lena gave her a small smile, and definitely noticed the way Alex couldn’t help but glance down at her lips. “I...I’m not used to anyone doing things for me, let alone something like that.”

The redhead shrugged and started to blush, “That's just what you do for people you care about.”

“It’s not  _ just _ anything,” Lena said with a shake of her head. And before she could overthink it, or talk herself out of it Lena pushed herself up onto her tiptoes to kiss the redhead. “Thank you,” she repeated.

For a moment Alex froze, amazed that Lena had actually just done that. As she saw the brunette lower her gaze, pausing to look at her lips before tilting her head down, Alex reached forward, and placed a finger under Lena’s chin to gently urge her face back up. Alex smiled when they made eye contact. Then she leaned in to return the kiss. 


End file.
